Kendrapara: Residents of Charigharia village, located inside the Bhitarkanika National Park in Kendrapara district, are reportedly planning to intensify their agitation for adequate resettlement as their decade-old struggle over the same has yielded no results so far.

At present, over 70 households in the village, which falls under Rajnagar Forest Division, are living in a perpetual state of anxiety as they have been slapped with repeated eviction notices from the Forest department, while the district administration has started preparations for their eviction without making any resettlement arrangements, reports said.

They demand their rehabilitation in line with the relocation of Satabhaya villagers in the Rajnagar block to Bagapatia. The relocation of Satabhaya residents was necessitated due to coastal erosion. “We have been fighting for relocation to Bagapatia for over a decade now. However, a recent eviction notice has heightened our concerns.” Santosh Kumar Sarkar is a resident of Charigharia village.

Sarkar claimed that their ancestors had been living in the area long before Bhitarkanika was declared a national park. In the aftermath of the 1971 cyclone, four families settled down in the area, giving rise to the name ‘Charigharia Sahi. ’ At present, the number of households has grown to over 70.

The Central government declared Bhitarkanika a wildlife sanctuary in 1975 and upgraded it to a national park in 1998. According to villager Reshmi Das, life in Charigharia has become increasingly dangerous. “The Forest department has dug canals near the village, which have become breeding grounds for crocodiles.

Villagers and livestock frequently fall victim to crocodile and other wildlife attacks,” Das said. She said that despite living in a forest area, strict restrictions imposed by the Forest department have hindered their traditional livelihood activities, such as firewood collection.

While many villagers are willing to relocate, they expressed frustration over the administration’s alleged lack of urgency in facilitating the process. Sukumar Das, another villager, stated that the villagers are ready to shift immediately if the government includes them in the resettlement plan and provides land and financial assistance in Bagapatia.

He said the villagers have staged repeated protests and hunger strikes over the demand for fair resettlement. Meanwhile, the Tesildar, Amiya Kumar Swain, said that the process of relocating Charigharia residents to Bagapatia is under consideration.

“A total of 148 families have been identifi ed for relocation,” he said. Swain claimed that ‘some individuals’ are trying to claim multiple plots under the resettlement scheme.

PNN

Rajnagar: The movements and lifestyle of the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtle still remain shrouded in mystery, despite extensive conservation efforts being undertaken owing to their significant role in maintaining ecological balance.

To study their migration patterns and shed light on their secret underwater lives, scientists from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) have deployed satellite tags on two Olive Ridley turtles at Nasi in Gahirmatha beach here in the Kendrapara district.

Every year, lakhs of these turtles gather at Gahirmatha for mass nesting, but researchers still do not fully understand where they come from, why they choose this location, or where they go after laying their eggs.

While scientists have observed both hatchlings and egg-laying adult turtles, juvenile and sub-adult turtles remain elusive, adding to the mystery of the species’ life cycle. For the first time in several years, researchers from WII have tagged two turtles with satellite transmitters.

The matter came to the fore after a team from WII reached the Nasi Islands at Gahirmatha and attached the devices to the turtles Wednesday. The collected data will be analysed by WII’s Dehradun-based research centre.

This year, 6,06,933 Olive Ridley turtles participated in the mass nesting event at Gahirmatha. At Nasi-2 Island alone, 3,11,483 turtles laid eggs, while another 2,95,450 turtles nested at Nasi-1—the highest recorded number in 33 years. Female turtles come ashore to lay eggs, while males spend their entire lives in the ocean. A total of 10 previously tagged turtles were observed nesting at Gahirmatha this year.

PNN

Bhubaneswar: Members of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) Tuesday staged a protest here Tuesday over the suicide of a Class-12 girl of the Kendrapara district and demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.

Holding banners and party flags, the NSUI activists demonstrated at Master Canteen Square, burning effigies of Majhi and School & Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond.

“The students are not safe even on their college campuses. The suicidal death case is a burning example of that,” NSUI state president Udit Pradhan said.

“Though more than a week has passed since the incident, the government is yet to take any action in this regard. We demand the resignation of the chief minister and Gond,” he said.

The 18-year-old student allegedly died by suicide on February 24 after being “frisked inappropriately” by a male teacher February 19, when she appeared for the ongoing exams conducted by the Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE) at Pattamundai College.

The case is under investigation.

“If the government fails to deliver justice to the girl student, the NSUI would intensify its protest across the state,” Pradhan added.

PTI

Kendrapara: Odisha’s Minister of State for Labour and Employees’ Insurance, Srikant Sahu recently informed the assembly that only 23 non-Odia labourers are working in Kendrapara district. In reality, however, the picture is quite different. Sources informed that a huge number of labourers, mostly illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, are working in Kendrapara district. Such are their numbers that they wield considerable influence, more than the locals do. It is these Bangladeshi immigrant labourers who are calling the shots in Kendrapara district. They are mostly being employed by 29,249 licensed labour contractors in the district. This development has taken place due to illegal infiltration by Bangladeshis into Kendrapara district through both land and sea. It still continues as the district administration has not taken any concrete steps to prevent infiltration. All attempts to check infiltration have fallen flat due to manpower and infrastructure shortage plaguing the three marine police stations, Forest department and coast guards in the district.

Reports said that over 20,000 people from outside have settled down in Kendrapara district. However, local police stations have no clue about them and their whereabouts. Social activist Sunil Kumar Gantayat of Mahakalapara, Pratap Chandra Padhi and Kalpataru Samantray of Pattamundai, Susant Nayak and Chittaranjan Sahu of Kendrapara said that three marine police stations at Jambu, Talachua and Tantiapal were set up along the 48-km coastline of the district. It was done to prevent infiltration and ensure proper law and order in the areas under their jurisdiction.

However, these police stations have failed to achieve the purpose for which they were established. These police stations have been established in Bengali-speaking areas but the infiltration by Bangladeshis continues unabated much to the disappointment of the locals. The three police stations are reeling under shortage of manpower and infrastructure and are struggling for survival. Among them, the Jambu police station is situated approximately five kilometres from the jetty. However, such is the location of the police station that it becomes almost impossible to reach it on a two-wheeler during monsoons. The police station also lacks speed boats and trained staff to patrol the sea. As per rules, each police station should have staff strength of 81 personnel.

However, the total staff strength of the three police stations currently stands at 42. Sources informed that there is no proper verification of boats arriving and leaving the jetty. Former District Collector Reghu Jee had put in place a verification method, but it is yet to be implemented. As a result, the porous coastline, with no security system in place makes it very easy for the illegal immigrants to enter Kendrapara district in the darkness of the night. They not only become a serious threat to the security of the district but to Odisha and India also.

Similarly, people peddling various illicit products have made the district their second home by renting places. They along with the illegal immigrants indulge in various acts of crime including human trafficking and selling of drugs. Sources said that criminal activities in the district have increased manifold in the last decade. The house owners give out their places for rent without verifying the antecedents of the takers. So locals have urged the police to carry out screening to identify the outsiders living in the district. When contacted, SDPO Rajiv Lochan Panda admitted to shortage of manpower and infrastructure in the marine police stations. He said the number of marine police stations will be increased this year while efforts are being made to fill up the vacant posts and ensure supply of speed boats.

Derabish: The Odisha government is spending crores on the development and restoration of drainage systems, but irregularities have affected some projects in Kendrapara district. One such case has come to the fore in Garadpur area where over Rs 2 crore meant for drainage restoration has allegedly been misappropriated through fake bills. Locals and farmers from four panchayats have taken up the issue with the Kendrapara district collector and the superintending engineer of the drainage division.

According to reports, hundreds of acres of low-lying farmlands and swamp lands like Hariankapata, Paniola, Janrabarimula and Hurasahipata under Garadpur block get waterlogged during the monsoons and this is an annual problem. Farmers of Bangalpur panchayat in the past had repeatedly urged the collector and the authorities of the drainage division to lay hume pipes wherever necessary.

Years later, the drainage division had allocated Rs 2 crore for the purpose and a tender was floated. Locals alleged that the contractor concerned did not carry out the work, but embezzled the entire fund in collusion with an assistant engineer. Harianka Sarpanch Kanaklata Pradhan, Indola sarpanch Jyotsnamayee Behera and Janrabarimula sarpanch Shankarsan Parida and hundreds of farmers made such complaint before the Collector. They have demanded a Vigilance investigation into the matter. When contacted, superintending engineer of the drainage division Bankanidhi Samal said that he has received a complaint about the irregularities. “The matter will be investigated and action will be taken accordingly,” he assured.

Mahakalapara: Rampant poaching and smuggling of marine creatures like crabs and stingrays in the coastal pockets of this block in Kendrapara district has posed serious threats to their survival and population, a report said.

This has happened despite provision of rules for protection of marine creatures. The forest department has imposed restrictions on catching stingrays and crabs but these rules hardly deter the fishermen and traders as they carry out their business with impunity.

These crabs and stingrays have a very high demand among the seafood lovers for which fishermen residing along the coast are catching them from the sea and selling them in open markets for a premium.

They sail out into the sea in small fishing boats and catch these marine creatures which are mostly found along the coastline and in deep sea.

A stingray weighs between 5 to 25 kilograms and sells for Rs100-200 per kg in the market while the crabs sell for anything between Rs500-600. Unabated sales of stingrays can be seen at Ramnagar Bazaar, Jambu haat, Jagarijor haat and Batighar areas under the block.

The local traders pack the stingrays in bamboo baskets and transport them to Paradip, Balasore and Kolkata for sale as the fish has very high demand among fish lovers.

Locals said that the fishermen mostly harvest the stingrays from Chatkanasi on Hukitola rivermouth and from Mahanadi river mouth where these are abundantly available. Locals blamed the forest officials for this situation. They alleged that business is growing day by day as forest officials are making no effort to launch a crackdown on this illegal business.

Patkura: Farmlands and pastures submerged due to low pressure-induced heavy rains in this block of Kendrapara district continue to remain waterlogged for a month now, a report said.

The submergence of the farmlands has destroyed the paddy crops first and now they are rotting due to sunny weather condition.

The crop loss has pushed the farmers into distress as they had borrowed heavily from private money lenders and local cooperative societies to raise their crops.

In such a situation, farmers are now worried over repayment of their loan as well as the money they need to meet the expenses of their family.

The rains have severely affected the agricultural activities in several areas in this block, including Bedari, Mahuria Danda, Mukuti, Baramania, Mahishigotha, Baghatala, Kinilo, Padmapur, Bedarichhkita, Daluani, Srichandanpur and Parakana.

Farmers had borrowed heavily to buy high yielding variety of paddy seeds such as Swarna, Puja, Sarala and Swarna sub-one varieties for cultivation. They sowed the seeds and waited for the rains to irrigate their farmlands.

However, when there was no rain they brought motor pumps on rent to irrigate their farmlands. They also applied chemical fertilisers and pesticides for a good harvest, spending considerable amounts to raise their crops.

The saplings had achieved a considerable growth and were nearing harvest. But as ill luck would have it, the low pressure-triggered incessant rainfall shattered their hopes by submerging their farmlands.

Consequently, the Sarad variety of paddy was completely damaged, another variety, which is quite resistant to pest attack, has developed sprouts.

Many of the farmers were seen harvesting the wet paddy and selling it at throwaway prices to mills for preparing flattened rice. With their crops gone, the farmers are now worried over repayment of their loans.

Farmers said they will be completely ruined if the state government does not provide them with financial assistance.

Bedari sarpanch Gokulananda Behera, villagers Nrusingha Charan Shukla, Dhruba Charan Sahu, Bismaya Khuntia, Gagan Bihari Biswal and Naren Malla have demanded that the administration conduct a probe of the crop loss and provide compensation to the affected farmers.

Kendrapara: Hundreds of workers of Baladevjew Powerloom are yet to get their dues even though 23 years have elapsed since the closure of the government-owned textile mill, sources said.

The issue came to fore recently after a delegation of the aggrieved workers, led by labour leader Muralidhar Das, submitted a memorandum in this regard to the district administration.

The saris, towels and other clothes produced by the powerloom were once very much popular in Kendrapara district. “Kendrapara district has been deprived of any industry after the closure of the powerloom.

Over 200 workers are yet to receive their arrears even though the textile mill had been closed around 23 years ago. We have raised the issue with the district administration and the elected representatives several times but to no avail,” Das said.

In the meantime, at least 10 workers of the powerloom have passed away while many others are languishing in financial miseries. Many workers are suffering from old-age ailments and waiting for some assistance from the district administration, sources said.

Baladevjew Powerloom had started manufacturing clothes in 1969. However, the state government had decided to close the textile mill in 1998, two years after it started incurring losses.

The closure of the powerloom pushed many into financial miseries. At least, 200 workers of the powerloom have been given VRS since September 30, 2001. However, these workers are yet to get their arrears from September, 1996, sources added.

Various equipment and machinery of the powerloom were sold away without the knowledge of the workers. The workers had filed a case in the Orissa High Court seeking their arrears and other benefits.

The HC, in its March 6, 2019 order, had directed the liquidator to pay the arrears to the workers. However, the workers are yet to receive their dues, sources said.

On the other hand, closure of the powerloom has benefitted some unscrupulous persons. These people have encroached upon the powerloom land. “Valuable equipment of the powerloom is rusting away while the roof of the structure has suffered extensive damage over the years,” said a source.

When contacted, ADM Basant Kumar Rout said the administration would look into the issue.

PNN

Kendrapara: The problem concerning illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in Kendrapara district is growing with each passing day, a report said.

The immigrants after entering Kendrapara district have started showing their might on local residents. If unchecked, this might result into a serious law and order problem.

In the latest case, a woman was allegedly assaulted by her husband and nephew after she refused to accept that the latter is her biological son, a report said.

The woman was identified as Subhadra Ray, wife of Bikash Ray of Barkolikhala village under Mahakalapara block. The accused were identified as Bikash Ray and nephew Amit Ray.

The dispute arose after Subhadra refused to acknowledge Amit as her own son which the later wanted to get a domicile certificate and other papers. Enraged, Bikash and Amit attacked her rendering her critical.

She was admitted to Mahakalapara community health centre. Later, she lodged a complaint at Jambu Marine Police station but police are yet to take any action. Subhadra is originally a native of Malkangiri district and was once a Zilla Parishad member.

Later, she came in contact with Bikash, a Bangladeshi immigrant who was then living in Malkangiri and eventually married him. The couple soon shifted to Barkolikhala village. She alleged that her husband is a native of Arwel village in Bangladesh.

Two years back Amit came to live with them. He tried to generate the papers to prove his nativity for which he asked Subhadra to identify herself as his mother to which she denied.

As a result, Bikash and Amit started torturing her. She lodged a complaint with erstwhile Collector following which Amit was asked to leave the country and his Bangladeshi passport and voter identity card of India were seized.

Amit again trespassed into the area and asked Subhadra to help him get the papers. He and Bikash assaulted Subhadra after she declined to oblige them. The assault of the woman is indicative of the serious problem posed by the Bangaldeshi immigrants in the district.

However, the problem is on the rise as the political leaders and the administration are keeping mum due to vote bank politics. The district administration is equally silent and is only waiting for an order from the government.

Residents have demanded an enumeration of the actual citizens in the district. Senior citizen Pratap Kumar Tripathy, social activist Sunil Kumar Gantayat, Bibhuti Bhushan Rout and Amarbar Rout said the population of Bangladeshi immigrants has grown exceptionally posing a serious threat to the security of the country.

However, only 1237 immigrants were permitted to stay in the district during the Bangladesh war. The district administration had issued deportation notice to 1551 immigrants in 2005 which was rejected by the Orissa High Court 15 years later in February.

When contacted, ADM Basant Kumar Rout said the local police have been asked to take action on the complaint of the woman. Jambu Marine IIC Maneswar Sethi said a primary inquiry has been ordered.

PNN

Kendrapara: Distress sale of potato has hit the farmers hard in this district due to lack of storage facilities or food processing units in the district, a report said.

Memory is still fresh when potato was selling Rs 40 a kg two months back but gone are those days as farmers now sell the staple to traders at Rs 3 a kg.

Farmers in the district now feel entrapped by undertaking potato cultivation as they have been forced to sell the tuber at throwaway prices to the traders due to lack of storage facilities or any government owned mandis to sell their stock.

Sensing better returns, farmers undertook potato cultivation but there are hardly any takers leading to distress sale.

A potato farmer Bidhu Bhushan Mohapatra of Palei village under Derabish block said that this year he has spent around Rs 1 lakh on potato cultivation on his four acre of land. He has reaped a good harvest but they have been caught on the wrong foot when it comes to sell their produce.

He alleged that a kg of potato sells at Rs 6 a kg in the market but the traders are only giving Rs 300 per quintal of their produce. They are forced to sell their produce at throwaway prices due to lack of any storage facilities in the district. He has estimated that he will suffer a loss of Rs 40,000 from the cultivation.

A farmer Kalpataru Samantaray of Pattamundai said many residents living outside of the state had returned to the district due to spread of Covid-19 disease in the country.

The demand for potato was then rising following which the migrants and the local farmers cultivated the tuber on 30,000 hectare of land. Their hard work bore fruits but they failed to store their produce due to lack of any cold storage in the district.

Moreover, they also failed to sell their produce to the government due to absence of any government owned mandis. With the tuber rotting in their houses, traders started flocking to them and forced them to sell their produce at throwaway prices.

He said that the potato mission of the state government could be a success if the latter takes care to open cold storages in the district to store their crops.

A young entrepreneur Ratanlal Samal said farmers are resorting to distress sale during harvest of potato and tomatoes in the district. However, this could be done away with if the state government promotes establishment of food processing units like tomato sauce and potato chips manufacuturing units.

He said people interested for establishment of these units are approaching various banks and the District Industries Centre (DIC) for loans and approvals. However, these industries are yet to take shape in the district due to lack of coordination between various banks and DIC authorities, he lamented.

Farmer leader Gayadhar Dhal said that the state government launched potato mission in 2015- 2016 with an aim to make the state self-sufficient in tuber production in the state and help farmer earn profit from the cultivation and cut off the dependency of tuber on outside state .

However, the scheme implemented by the state horticulture department has been a failure due to lack of effective implementation. The state government had sanctioned Rs 20 crore under the mission in 2017-18 fiscal.

However, the CAG in its 2019 report has claimed that not a single pie has been spent for the cultivation. He added that the problem can be resolved through establishment of cold storages, food processing units and government mandis.

When contacted, Kanda Jena, assistant director of Horticulture department admitted to the claim that cold storage could resolve the problem but the district lacks any such units.

PNN

Mahakalpara: Mating of endangered horseshoe crabs has started in the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary in Kendrapara district, a report said Wednesday.

These crabs are found in large numbers in the Gahirmatha sanctuary of Mahakalpara block, Hukitola Island in the Bhitarkanika sanctuary, Madali sea mouth, Launchghola, mangrove forests as well as rivers and creeks flowing in the Mahanadi delta region.

With the change in weather condition in the state, pairs of crabs could be seen mating. These crabs are very alert in nature and do not mind attacking their enemies with their pointed pincers at the slightest provocations.

Reports said that, horseshoe crabs have been living on the planet even before the advent of dinosaurs. A medical analysis in 2019 said horseshoe crabs have been here for more than 30 crore years and survived four mass extinctions for which they have been classified as a living fossil.

Their blood contains copper instead of iron while they use a chemical called hemocyanin to carry oxygen through their blood. Their blood is blue in colour due to the copper present in hemocyanin. Their blood contains amebocytes, which plays a similar role to that of the white blood cells of the vertebrates in defending the organisms against pathogens.

The chemical present in their blood helps in detecting disease in the blood of humans and in preparing medicines for dreaded diseases like cancer. The mating of these crabs usually takes place on new moon night and full moon night when hoards of crabs could be seen moving towards sea beaches.

The Gahirmatha sanctuary is a safe breeding place for these crabs. However, the forest officials seem to be oblivious of their protection as these creatures die in large numbers after coming contact with big trawlers, fishing boats and fishing nets.

Their carcasses could be seen lying on the beaches after being washed ashore. These crabs also travel thousands of miles from Pacific and Indian Oceans to Odisha coast while two of their types are found in the marshy mangrove forest and sand-cast areas on the state’s coast.

Samarendra Mahali, an environmentalist, said awareness programme for protection and conservation of this endangered marine creatures will be taken up soon.

PNN

Kendrapara: In a tragic incident of family feud followed by an attempt of self-immolation by the husband, a married woman of Sabajaria village under Pattamundai block in Kendrapara district sustained critical burn injuries and died late Saturday night.

Also read: Youth tied to pillar, thrashed by villagers for allegedly raping minor girl in Keonjhar

The unfortunate incident took place over alleged extramarital affair.

According to sources, the husband Shailendra Mallik had a severe altercation with his wife Bandita Mallik at night. The woman accused her husband of having an extramarital affair with another woman.

During a severe altercation between the couple, Shailendra lost his cool and set himself on fire using kerosene. Later, the wife tried to save the man and sustained critical burn injuries in the process.

Locals rescued the couple in critical condition and admitted them to Pattamundai community health centre (CHC) for treatment. Doctors treating at the CHC referred the woman to SCB Medical College and Hospital (SCBMCH) in Cuttack after her condition deteriorated.

Bandita succumbed to her burn injuries and was declared by the doctors at SCBMCH as ‘brought dead’. Shailendra has been battling for life. His health condition is stated by doctors to be critical now.

PNN

Kendrapara: Climate change is taking a heavy toll on Satabhayaya villages under Rajanagar block in Kendrapara district. Panchubarahi temple in the area is close to vanishing amid sand owing to sea erosion. Some coconut trees that towered over the coastal landscape have lost their existence.

Gobindapur, Mohanpur, Kharikula, Chintamanipur and Badagahiramatha have vanished into the sea while Kanpur disappeared in 2011.

A tube well near the temple is buried under a growing sand dune. Acres of farmlands in these seven villages which were main sources of livelihood are sand cast.

On the other hand, 571 families of the picturesque seven coastal villages who were victims of climate change and massive coastal erosion engulfing major areas have been shifted and resettled at Bagapatia – a low lying area close to the troubled site, by 2018.

Only a few families are clinging to their traditional homeland at Barahipur.

But they are facing crisis in the livelihood as they have not been provided farmlands till date. Reports said, their farmlands have not been compensated with provision new lands eligible for farming.

Environmentalists like Biswajit Mohanty, Hemanata Rout and Laxmidhar Swain said Satabhaya is a small sample of climate changeinduced coastal erosion for about 12 km.

Mangrove forests at Satabhaya and Kanpur have vanished, using in coastal erosion. They observed that the forest department should take steps for creating mangroves in the area so as to prevent sea erosion.

Besides, the government should make use of the area for the tourism sectors by setting up cottages at Habelikhati.

Despite sea erosion, new mangrove forest is being generated from Pentha to Satabhaya, he added. DFO Bikash Ranjan Das said plantation has been undertaken in Satabhaya.

On the other side, many other villagers, who were earlier dependent on catching fish for their livelihood, have also suffered setbacks as many of them are now bound to buy the products from the market.

It is said that most farmers have lost their agriculture lands in the process, but most of them still continue to visit their lost habitats at Satabhaya by boats.

As for land, ADM Basant Kumar Rout said 148 families of Satabhaya had applied for relocation at Bagapatia. After investigation, they will be rehabilitated, he added.

PNN

Kendrapara: Unidentified miscreants have allegedly looted lakhs of rupees by breaking open two automatic teller machines (ATMs) of the State Bank of India (SBI) late Tuesday night. Sources said the two ATM kiosks were located at Chhatrapur and Nialo Haat areas under Aul block in Kendrapara district. Bank officials said that more than Rs 30 lakh have been stolen by the miscreants. The exact figure is being ascertained, said an official.

Also read: Vigilance conducts raid over alleged plantation scam in Puri

On being informed, local police immediately reached the spot. Police have registered a case in this connection and launched a probe.

The miscreants used gas cutters to break open the ATM machines. They have damaged both the cash dispensers and destroyed the CCTV cameras in the kiosks wipe out any evidence, a police official said.

PNN

Kendrapara: A three-year-old girl was charred to death while sleeping after massive fire broke out at a paddy yard Thursday night at Okilpal village of Pattamundai under Rajnagar block in Kendrapara district.

Also read: Former Malkangiri Collector’s PA death: Odisha DGP Abhay orders for Crime Branch probe

The mishap occurred when the minor girl was sleeping with her father Ramakant Samal, mother Kunilata and her elder sister. The other three suffered critical injuries and are currently undergoing treatment.

According to a source, the husband with his wife and two daughters were sleeping at the yard to guard their harvested paddy crop. Probably, a kerosene lamp kept tipped over and caused the fire, a local villager said.

The injured were rescued by locals and rushed to the SCB Medical College and Hospital (SCBMCH) in Cuttack in critical condition, the villager informed.

PNN

Kendrapara: The fear of tsunami to 64 seaside villages under Rajnagar block in this district has come to haunt the residents as the geo synthetic tube sea walls built at Pentha coast have failed to check coastal erosion due to onslaught of high tides, a report said.

The pounding tidal waves have become very rough nowadays. The sea waves have gnawed away at a large volume of the rocks and stones packed inside the gabion nets and threatened to topple the tube. The gabion nets have also been torn in the high tides.

As a result, the 200 mtr long sea beach has been reduced to 20 mtrs over last one and half years. The continuous damage of geo tube seawall has also sparked fear on the visit of the rare Olive Ridley turtles to the sea coast of the district and on the fate of 64 tsunami prone villages.

The damage of the geo tube seawall has proved the fear of naturalists true. In 2019, attending a workshop on sea erosion in Kendrapara town, marine expert Dr K Nageswar Rao of Andhra University had said the geo-tube walls are not the long-term solution to save the coastlines from erosion. The geo tube walls can only be a temporary anti-erosion measure. Now his fear has come true a year later.

Social activist Khitish Kumar Singh said the coastlines at Pentha were eroded by 13 mtrs in 1999. Prior to this, the coastline was getting eroded by six to eight mtrs.

The state government decided to check the sea erosion by constructing geo synthetic tube walls in 2008. He apprehended that 64 villages which are tsunami prone will soon be extinct from the map of the district if the coastal erosion continues at this rate.

Notably, A 600-metre geosynthetic tube wall under the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) programme was built at a cost of `34 crore with technical support of IITChennai to protect the seaside Pentha village and its nearby areas from high tides, cyclones and even tsunami.

It was then expected that the geo synthetic tube sea walls will protect over 35,000 residents residing in 64 villages near Pentha coast from the onslaught of tidal waves. It was even claimed that a new beach will be created after the construction of the geo synthetic tube wall.

It has been over three years since the geo synthetic tube wall was constructed but it has failed to check the erosion of the coast. The sea has only become rough nowadays instead of remaining calm.

The high tidal waves have washed away the large stones and rocks packed inside the gabion boxes of the geo synthetic tube walls. It has even sandcast over 2 sq km of area nearby during this period.

The construction of the geo synthetic tube wall at Pentha was the fallacious effort of the authorities to save the areas from the onslaught of the marching sea. Geo-synthetic tubes have failed in the past in Pondicherry, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Digha in West Bengal and even at Pentha, said Hemant Rout, secretary of Gahirmatha Marine Turtles Conservation and Mangrove Protection Society.

He claimed that the area was not witnessing much erosion before the construction of Paradip Port but the coastal erosion has only intensified in recent days following the stone packing undertaken for the Paradip Port.

He said there is a need for more assessment of the sea coast and growth of mangrove forests is the primary solution to the problem. The area which was earlier opened for tourists now stands closed after two youths drowned in the sea. He demanded to invite the marine experts and find a solution to the problem.

When contacted, ADM Basant Kumar Rout said that the coastal erosion has been informed to the state government.

PNN

Kendrapara: The Bhitarkanika National Park (BNP) will remain closed for tourists and visitors for nine days starting from January 15 up to January 23 in order to facilitate the annual crocodile census here.

Also read: Sambalpur Vigilance SP Sarah Sharma resents fake Facebook profile created in her name

According to an official source, the national park is to remain out of bounds for the annual census of estuarine crocodiles. As many as 22 teams have been constituted to count the crocodiles in the creeks, nullahs and rivers within the park and its nearby areas.

Visitors’ interference could distract the meticulous census of reptiles to be carried out by a team comprising of forest officials and wildlife experts. That is why a curb on tourist footfall was imposed to facilitate the counting activities, DFO of Bhitarkanika Mangrove (Wildlife) Forest Division Bikash Ranjan Dash expressed.

Notably, Bhitarkanika is said to be accommodating over 70 per cent of the total estuarine crocodile (saltwater crocodile) count in the country. Conservation of the crocodiles was started in 1975.

PNN

Kendrapara: Students studying in over 80 per cent of the private schools in this district have been deprived of appearing in annual scholarship examinations as these schools have been operating without no-objection certificates (NOCs), a report said.

Over 30 madrasas have been allegedly committing fraud by siphoning off government funds without investing the money in education of students or infrastructure development. This has pushed the future of the students to the brink.

This is indicative of the commercialisation of education where the authorities of these private schools put up attractive advertisements in the form of hoardings and billboards to lure the parents and guardians for admission of their wards in these schools.

This speaks about the sorry state of affairs in the education system due to lack of scrutiny and checkup by the education department.

Guardians Amarbar Biswal, Pradip Kumar Sahu, Sk Ehasan said that a total of 154 private schools are operating in the district and 80 per cent of them are running without NOCs. As a result, the students studying in these schools have been debarred from appearing in the annual scholarship examinations.

The state government rule has provision of admission of 25 poor students in these private schools. However, the rule seems to be not binding on the private schools here as they never give admission to poor students in their schools.

The state education department is merging the schools having less than 20 students on their rolls with the nearest schools. However, this rule seems to be not binding on madrasas in this district.

It is alleged the authorities in most of the schools inflate student attendance records to avoid merger of their schools. This way the authorities try to gobble up the funds available to them.

Moreover, most of the schools are being run by a single teacher. Residents have demanded the government to intervene and direct a probe by the mass education department.

District education officer Sanjiv Kumar Singh said a probe has been ordered into the lack of NOCs by various private schools while a similar probe will be undertaken against the madrasas after the reopening of the schools.

PNN

Bhubaneswar/Kendrapara: Acting on the directive of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, a high-level team of officials led by Odisha Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy and including 5T Secretary VK Pandian along with Special Secretary Commerce and Transport department Manoj Mishra Sunday visited the proposed Mahanadi Riverine Port site in Kendrapara.

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According to an official source, the high-level team travelled to the proposed site on a vessel of Paradip Port Trust (PPT) together with the PPT chairman Rinkesh Roy and other senior officials. Mahakalpada MLA Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak visited the proposed port site and discussed with the senior officials in this regard. Kendrapara Collector Samarth Verma also took part in the discussion.

It may be recalled that the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways has agreed to the state government’s proposal for the riverine port, which is to be developed by PPT. Formal signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the government is being finalised.

The port will come up at Akhadasali village under Mahakalpada block in Kendrapara district, 13 kilometres from the river mouth at Paradip.

This all-weather and multi-user port on Mahanadi River will be set up in PPP mode with a capacity of 54MTPA and an estimated cost of Rs 4,062 crore, of which 22MTPA capacity will be created in the first phase at an estimated cost of Rs 2,562 crore.

PPT will develop supporting project infrastructure like rail and road connectivity and dredging requirements of the proposed port. The government has identified 300 hectares of land for the project. The state government will also provide necessary support to PPT in respect of any additional land required for the project.

Notably in 2018, the state government had decided to go ahead with Mahanadi Riverine Port and an RFQ was issued. However, the project couldn’t progress due to lack of interest by potential bidders. PPT then evinced interest in the project.

After successful commissioning, the proposed port will provide direct and indirect employment opportunities to more than 4,000 persons in the first phase and about another 1,700 in the second phase.

PNN

Kendrapara/Rajnagar: In an alarming development, reducing flow of fresh water in Brahmani and Kharasrota rivers might lead to extinction of mangroves in Bhitarkanika National Park in this district, a report said.

This was stated by experts at a workshop ‘Hydro-ecological Assessment for Integrated Management of Bhitarkanika Ramsar Site’ held at Gupti in Rajnagar block in this district, Wednesday. DFO Bikash Ranjan Dash presided over the workshop organised by Rajnagar forest division in collaboration with Chilika Development Authority and GIZIndia.

The wildlife sanctuary is located in the estuarial region of Bramhani and Baitarani rivers. It covers an area of 672 square kilometers of mangroves and wetland.

The fear is not unfounded as the flow of fresh water to the wildlife sanctuary during monsoon has come down to 40 per cent from 70 per cent. In non-monsoonal season the water flow gets reduced to as low as 15 per cent and aggravates the problems of the sanctuary. Participants at the workshop said that a master plan is the need of the hour to protect the eco-sensitive zone from becoming extinct.

If this trend continues then the mangroves might get extinct in the sanctuary by 2050. The park serves as nesting, feeding and breeding grounds for a wide range of invertebrates and vertebrates.

Dr Gurudeep Rastogi, scientist at Chilika Development Authority, deliberated on the importance of wetlands. He made a video presentation describing how the reducing flow of fresh water in these two rivers might spell disaster for the sanctuary as well as for people.

He said the use of river water by industries, water theft, take over by big corporations, lack of dredging of riverbed at regular intervals, and encroachment of the riverbed are some of the reasons behind the decline in water flow. He warned that if urgent measures are not taken then the reducing water flow might spell danger for the wildlife, avian and reptile populations.

Attending the workshop, Khuswant Singh, assistant chief executive of CDA, said the Chilika lake and the Bhitarkanika park are famous in the world for a number of reasons.

The ambience in Bhitarkanika is conducive for the survival of mammals, reptiles and marine creatures. The cacophonies of migratory birds, the nesting site of rare Olive Ridley turtles and the estuarine crocodiles attract tourists to Bhitarkanika. The survival of mangroves will help protect the coastal districts from the impact of tsunamis and cyclonic storms.

District fishery officer Mamata Mohapatra spoke on the threat of prawn gheries to Bhitarkanika. Environmentalists Srikant Nayak, Biraja Prasad Pati, Bijay Kabi and Bhaskar Routray opposed the construction of a mega drinking water project on Kharasrota river at Barunadiha under Rajkanika block.

PNN